GH In The News: The PC Press Club

[TwistedandBored]

I don't know why the show is against pairing Rebecca Budig with Curtis. He is hot af! 

[jsbt]

There was zero chance this or any other American daytime soap was going to pair Rebecca Budig with the hot black guy. They always do these asexual relationships with white women and black men when the women are major leads and it's especially tacky in 2016. I thought they were amusing early on but I kind of find it insulting watching them at this point, especially now that it's gotten so cozy and oppressively platonic, which doesn't suit who either character is. If this was primetime - even ABC primetime, not just cable - they would fuck just because. They'd be frustrated about Nikolas or Jordan and T.J. or something and then do it, just as a plot point, not necessarily a great romance. But GH is too shit-scared of even doing that.

Edited June 22, 2016 by jsbt

[Bwill3133]

I could guess why....

Other than rarely seen Molly/TJ, the show was quick to throw Valerie with Curtis and pair Jordan/Andre even though him and Anna were working. I don't hate Hayden and think her and Curtis have some chemistry but since they are moving her in ME's direction I guess they will remain friends. 

[jsbt]

Curtis and Valerie are so bizarre. It's one of those pairings where you know they only did it because neither is white and they don't want to 'taint' the white folks. Molly and T.J., I have no idea what the show's thinking is on these characters. The only conclusion I can come to is that Frank gave up on both of them once his pretty white boy failed to connect and he couldn't copy one of his popular if terrible teen pairings from OLTL with Molly and Rafe.

Jordan and Andre are both cataclysmically boring. Andre has some chemistry with Anna but he always comes off like an informercial host, and Jordan's only chemistry was with Julian. I could actually get behind Vinessa Antoine, who I think is a fine performer, if it wasn't for the fact that the character's backstory is so bizarre, contradictory and strange and yet now she has Anna's job, which I think is ludicrous.

Edited June 22, 2016 by jsbt

[Chairperson Meow]

I'd still be okay with Jordan and Julian hooking up in the interrogation room because eh why not?  

[UYI]

10 hours ago, jsbt said:

Curtis and Valerie are so bizarre. It's one of those pairings where you know they only did it because neither is white and they don't want to 'taint' the white folks. Molly and T.J., I have no idea what the show's thinking is on these characters. The only conclusion I can come to is that Frank gave up on both of them once his pretty white boy failed to connect and he couldn't copy one of his popular if terrible teen pairings from OLTL with Molly and Rafe.

 

 

I have a feeling you're regarding Molly & Rafe bombing as a potential couple, but the fact that HP is particularly young looking for her age, and is only just about to turn 18 now, might have something to do with it, too (not that everything about a young first teen love has to be sexual--it doesn't have to be at all--but I can see Frank looking at that above all else and backburnering them, at least in part, for that reason). 

I mean, KA was young looking when Starr got pregnant on OLTL, but HP, especially a few years ago, is even younger looking, IMO. 

Edited June 22, 2016 by UYI

[TeeVee329]

Eh, I'm with jsbt.  If Molly and Rafe had taken off as a couple, we would have seen a lot more of it on-screen, regardless of HP's age and appearance.  Molly and TJ both really recessed once Rafe (and Felix's annoying sister Taylor) flopped.

Edited June 22, 2016 by TeeVee329

[testardo]

17 hours ago, Sake614 said:

If Sonny can come back from murdering AJ in cold blood, Julian can come back from this. The writers just have to have him do something like save Carly from a raging inferno. Not that I'm advocating for that scenario, but if it happens, Sonny will forgive him, which means so will everyone else.

Sonny killed a non-mobster *maybe that's the reason * in cold blood, he is given more air time, more storys and all his family back. Julian killed a killer for hire. he can come back from this.

Alexis was planning to sell him down the river so let her fry. She has been a mob mouth piece, and now her chickens have come home to roost. She was very instrumental in taking Michael from his father. she knowingly filed coerced papers. rot in jail Alexis. Could this show get any worse ?

[jsbt]

The geniuses speak.

[TeeVee329]

Just taking a brief spin through that interview, they both come off defensive as hell.

[tvgoddess]

I was just about to post that interview. The entire thing just pissed me off as I read more and more. Ugh. Whatever, JP/SA. And it went on forever.

Actually, it sheds light on the whole mob thing. They really see it as just another job. No wonder we get the writing that we do.

Edited June 22, 2016 by tvgoddess

[Francie]

Quote

But, we have a great writing team, and they have written a lot of Nurses’ Ball’s. 

As an English and journalism major, I weep.

Blame on that goes to Fairman, right?

I could only get through half of the article before I bailed from boredom. I've seen the criticism online about the number of cast members, and I've thought that there aren't any more than Ron had. But I see from even just half of that article that Jelly have a gazillion tiny stories going. They are just all over the place, and it's a mess.

And a Bree Williamson type? A Bree Williamson TYPE? Mediocre, run-of-the-mill, hits her mark and hits her lines but is nothing special with blond hair and big eyes is a type now, I guess.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Francie

[TeeVee329]

I thought it was annoying that they were patting themselves on the back for Brad and Lucas' wedding and for Carly's rant about guns given a) despite their crowing about giving the couple "a moment of joy", Brad and Lucas' wedding was an embarrassment that was barely about them and b) absolutely nothing has come from Carly's gun rant, she certainly didn't leave her mobster husband over it.

Their mush-mouth answer about Brad and Lucas' lack of airtime was also pathetic, as was, I'm pretty sure, JP taking a swipe at Kish.

Edited June 22, 2016 by TeeVee329

[LegalParrot81]

Okay, that interview depressed me even more about the future of this show.  These two obviously share the same brain and they are not the least bit interested in writing for GH, they want to write for their favorite actors (see Rebecca B, Bree W and this new guy coming on that used to be on AMC), those actors they wrote for on other shows, don't let the fact that GH already had a stable of actors in place dissuade them.  They want to write for their little pets and screw the show, the story lines, or making the characters duller than dirt.

I weep.

[LeftPhalange]

So basically they're only here to get a check and aren't even smart enough to pretend like they actually care about the show. And they can miss me with all of the defensiveness. They're still getting paid very well even though their work is shit. If they worked a 9-5 like most people their asses would've been fire awhile ago. 

[HeatLifer]

Find a replacement, ABC. 

[WendyCR72]

3 minutes ago, HeatLifer said:

Find a replacement, ABC. 

Or just put the white noise or a test pattern on. But since no one involved actually gives a shit about GH (and it shows), it needs humane euthanization, stat.

[NiqueAlexis]

That interview irritated the fuck out of me. I don't even know what too think other than I will not be watching much of this shit. Maxie who is my favorite a legacy character played by a talented Fan fave clearly looks she about too be screwed over. All in the fuckin name of Claudette/Bree a Frank Pet from oltl & a clear favorite of the writers. So I'm guessing that she going too spend the summer trying too hold on too her fiancee while simultaneously playing 2nd fiddle 2 some wretched bitch. Yeah that's exactly what I & others viewers want 2 see. Not.

Fuck this shit 

1 hour ago, TeeVee329 said:

I thought it was annoying that they were patting themselves on the back for Brad and Lucas' wedding and for Carly's rant about guns given a) despite their crowing about giving the couple "a moment of joy", Brad and Lucas' wedding was an embarrassment that was barely about them and b) absolutely nothing has come from Carly's gun rant, she certainly didn't leave her mobster husband over it.

Their mush-mouth answer about Brad and Lucas' lack of airtime was also pathetic, as was, I'm pretty sure, JP taking a swipe at Kish.

Never mind half of Lucas Jones family was missing. That wasn't shit. That was more of here you go & stfu.

[HeatLifer]

10 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

Or just put the white noise or a test pattern on. But since no one involved actually gives a shit about GH (and it shows), it needs humane euthanization, stat.

That interview told me everything I already know. I stick around out of habit, but I have no thoughts about these characters or stories anymore. 

[Chairperson Meow]

I was offended by the weak and pathetic attempt at pandering to fans.  At least Ron was up front and told us in not so many words fuck our feelings.  Don't name drop stuff fans like while lowkey passively aggressively telling us to go fuck ourselves because you think we won't stop watching.  Because PLL, BoJack Horseman, and Degrassi are back.  I have shows I can watch.  You think this is a game?  Bruh.  

[peachmangosteen]

3 hours ago, TeeVee329 said:

Their mush-mouth answer about Brad and Lucas' lack of airtime was also pathetic, as was, I'm pretty sure, JP taking a swipe at Kish.

What did they say? I'm not about to actually read this interview but I wanna know what these brain-dead fools have to say about the best thing RC ever did.

2 hours ago, HeatLifer said:

I stick around out of habit, but I have no thoughts about these characters or stories anymore. 

This. Although with Big Brother starting I probably won't even stick around out of habit anymore. I have another terrible show that's actually fun to watch!

Edited June 22, 2016 by peachmangosteen

[TeeVee329]

17 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

What did they say? I'm not about to actually read this interview but I wanna know what these brain-dead fools have to say about the best thing RC ever did.

Here's the chunk of JP's quote that irked me:

Quote

You know that I’ve (and Shelly has been too) been on other shows where the issue of the couple being gay is sort of what the story is about.  Since we have been here at GH that has not been the issue.  It’s a given, and just understood.  So, it’s very interesting to me that as we thought of Brad and Lucas getting married, it was a wedding.  It wasn’t a gay wedding.  Love is love is love. 

Now Shelly was technically the one working at OLTL while Kish was on, and Ron maybe did a touch too much tackling issues with them (I was never super thrilled the Big! Gay! Wedding! story was immediately followed by Nick being bashed), but they're patting themselves on the back SO HARD about Lucas and Brad, who a) are never on, b) haven't had a sex scene or any intimacy really since they took over, and c) whose wedding couldn't have been less about them.

Edited June 22, 2016 by TeeVee329

[Sake614]

Quote

 

Courtesy/ABC

MICHAEL:

Will viewers continue to see Brad and Lucas?  The concerns for fans for the duo are here they are being trotted out for a few episodes, and then not heard of again for months and months.

SHELLY:

We love them, and we love them individually, and as a couple.

JEAN:

They are very important to the canvas, obviously to the show, because they are connected to the main characters.

SHELLY:

And they are both are connected to the hospital, and we always enjoy using them, and would like to use them as much as possible.

 

Evading the question until the last line, which seems to indicate they don't have much say.

[peachmangosteen]

These two are worse than RC whatever I don't care!

[Sake614]

Has it really been almost a YEAR since these two idiots took over?

[ulkis]

7 minutes ago, Sake614 said:

Has it really been almost a YEAR since these two idiots took over?

Not really . . . they took over October 7. Still got a good over three months to go. 

[TwistedandBored]

5 hours ago, jsbt said:

The geniuses speak.

And, just like their stories on the show, their interview gives you the hope they will say something smart/useful only to let you down even more. 

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, TeeVee329 said:

So, it’s very interesting to me that as we thought of Brad and Lucas getting married, it was a wedding.  It wasn’t a gay wedding. 

This didn't really bother me. What bothered me is that their wedding wasn't about them. Will Maxie and Nathan's wedding (assuming things get that far) be treated as an afterthought? I highly doubt it. They'll probably even let Mac and Felicia out to play for more than a day.

But she's completely tone-deaf about their preference for writing for certain characters and adding to the cast when it's too large the way it is.

Edited June 22, 2016 by dubbel zout

[WendyCR72]

54 minutes ago, ulkis said:

Not really . . . they took over October 7. Still got a good over three months to go. 

It just feels like an eternity.

[Sake614]

um no, not really. 

Quote

Nina will break your heart today on @GeneralHospital amazing work by @TheRealStafford #GHSummerLoving #GH

[dubbel zout]

I would find it heartbreaking if MSt didn't give Nina such an intense edge of desperation. It comes across to me as being unwilling to accept reality, which is completely opposite to what that scene was about.

[NiqueAlexis]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

This didn't really bother me. What bothered me is that their wedding wasn't about them. Will Maxie and Nathan's wedding (assuming things get that far) be treated as an afterthought? I highly doubt it. They'll probably even let Mac and Felicia out to play for more than a day.

But she's completely tone-deaf about their preference for writing for certain characters and adding to the cast when it's too large the way it is.

If gets that far & it's actually about them(Given how big on Claudette they're I anit holding my breath) will they remember Maxie has a child? Will they remember 2 include Georgie or will she remain an afterthought? Since she only serves 1 purpose & Maxie being a mother isn't it. There is no way she is going too get married without Georgie being there. A big elephant in the room they keep ignoring.

[TeeVee329]

3 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

This didn't really bother me. What bothered me is that their wedding wasn't about them.

Oh, I wasn't bothered about them not viewing Lucas and Brad's wedding any differently because they were gay.  But as I mentioned in my earlier post, they are patting themselves on the back about it SO HARD in that interview.  They really think they did something groundbreaking and special and different with their wedding and...not so much.

3 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

But she's completely tone-deaf about their preference for writing for certain characters and adding to the cast when it's too large the way it is.

Seriously.  In one breath, there's the defensive assurance that Bree Williamson is recurring.  In the next, they're all, "Haha, we fall in love with all these recurring characters and keep them, aren't we the worst!"

And they also throw out some dig about fans being unfair about what they expect from recurring characters.  But you just know that Bree Williamson recurring is gonna look a whole lot different than Lucas and Brad recurring.

[jsbt]

Budig was recurring! Who do these fucks think they're fooling?

[Badsamaritan]

What I don't understand is, why the soap press continues to treat these shows & their writers/showrunners with such kid gloves. There's only 4 fucking soaps left, NOBODY in daytime has ANY juice anymore. What are the producers gonna do, refuse to give interviews? They're just screwing themselves if they try to cock block because that's free advertising regardless. The only people who still care about daytime soaps are we sad few who have stuck around through all the bullshit. I don't think I've ever seen a group of people who really care so little about keeping their jobs. You would think they'd be pulling everything they could out of their asses to get and keep eyeballs on their show. But nope. Instead we get arrogance and ridiculous storytelling. Where exactly do Frank and Jelly think they're going if they get booted from GH? Or if the network just cancels it altogether? Nowhere but the unemployment line.

[jsbt]

Seriously. Why these nobodies in what remains of the soap press play ball is beyond me. I guess a lot of them have nowhere else to go, too.

[Francie]

7 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

What I don't understand is, why the soap press continues to treat these shows & their writers/showrunners with such kid gloves. There's only 4 fucking soaps left, NOBODY in daytime has ANY juice anymore. What are the producers gonna do, refuse to give interviews? They're just screwing themselves if they try to cock block because that's free advertising regardless. The only people who still care about daytime soaps are we sad few who have stuck around through all the bullshit. I don't think I've ever seen a group of people who really care so little about keeping their jobs. You would think they'd be pulling everything they could out of their asses to get and keep eyeballs on their show. But nope. Instead we get arrogance and ridiculous storytelling. Where exactly do Frank and Jelly think they're going if they get booted from GH? Or if the network just cancels it altogether? Nowhere but the unemployment line.

 

1 hour ago, jsbt said:

Seriously. Why these nobodies in what remains of the soap press play ball is beyond me. I guess a lot of them have nowhere else to go, too.

 

Reminds me of one of my all-time favorite movies.

Back on point -- aren't they pretty much sycophants, and I kinda mean that in the nicest way possible, who do it to rub elbows with the stars and powers that be? They sure aren't getting paid.

[Badsamaritan]

15 hours ago, Francie said:

Back on point -- aren't they pretty much sycophants, and I kinda mean that in the nicest way possible, who do it to rub elbows with the stars and powers that be? They sure aren't getting paid.

True, but again, their 'star power' only exists as long as there is a show for them to be on. Look at most the 'stars' from all the canceled soaps - where the fuck are they? The ones not getting hired by Uncle Frank, that is. Where's Dixie and Bianca from AMC? Where's Bo Woods and Hillary Smith and Jerry verDorn from OLTL? Where's Kim Zimmer, Grant Aleksander, and Beth Ehlers? With the exception of a few who have managed to snag parts outside the daytime soap genre (Hayden Panettiere, Susan Lucci), I couldn't tell you where any of the other folks are. And I loved Hillary, Jerry, Kim, Grant, etc. But I don't even think about them anymore except when something reminds me of their soap days. The only people who care that the soap press get to rub elbows are other soap fans and themselves. And that number is steadily shrinking by the day. Soaps maybe have about 5 years left, collectively. And I think that's being generous, especially for the low rated ones like GH. The power is in the hands of the soap press, not the other way around. Hold these mother fuckers feet to the fire and ask them what the fuck do they think they're doing and why are they trying to kill their own damn shows.

[TeeVee329]

2 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

Where's Dixie and Bianca from AMC?

Dixie's married to Jon Lindstrom, she's doing fine.

[LeftPhalange]

She was on Y&R somewhat recently, but her acting was horrible and the character she played was useless batshit crazy trash. Highlights include having sex on the dirty floor of a club shortly before it caved in, holding a man hostage while torturing and raping him, and then being stabbed to death. And the wig she wore made her look like a horse. Not a good look for her.

[Sake614]

Bob Woods retired after the PP OLTL fiasco and is happily living upstate NY. I think HBS was on Days for a short time but haven't seen her lately.

I suspect JvD is also happily retired at this point.

[Francie]

4 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

True, but again, their 'star power' only exists as long as there is a show for them to be on. Look at most the 'stars' from all the canceled soaps - where the fuck are they? The ones not getting hired by Uncle Frank, that is. Where's Dixie and Bianca from AMC? Where's Bo Woods and Hillary Smith and Jerry verDorn from OLTL? Where's Kim Zimmer, Grant Aleksander, and Beth Ehlers? With the exception of a few who have managed to snag parts outside the daytime soap genre (Hayden Panettiere, Susan Lucci), I couldn't tell you where any of the other folks are. And I loved Hillary, Jerry, Kim, Grant, etc. But I don't even think about them anymore except when something reminds me of their soap days. The only people who care that the soap press get to rub elbows are other soap fans and themselves. And that number is steadily shrinking by the day. Soaps maybe have about 5 years left, collectively. And I think that's being generous, especially for the low rated ones like GH. The power is in the hands of the soap press, not the other way around. Hold these mother fuckers feet to the fire and ask them what the fuck do they think they're doing and why are they trying to kill their own damn shows.

I was thinking more that the soap bloggers, who mainly are going off of fond memories of years past, are the ones blowing smoke up the actors' and TPTP's collective you know whats.

The actors, I believe, are plain in denial about just how bad the quality of what they are getting is. They moan and complain about some of it, but based on my interaction and experience, they are so focused on the wrong things, and think that only tiny adjustments are needed to course correct. Benard honestly thinks that Sonny winning the day is where the show should be at. Laura thinks that the vast majority of the audience is rooting for Carly like she's Mary Tyler Moore or Lorelai Gilmore. Finola wants Ian as an acting partner, and short of that, she wants to work with Benard. They might also blame budget cuts and changing regimes, but they are tone deaf to 99% of the audience criticism. There's a reason they aren't running the shows.

Though, those that do run it (Frank and Jelly) are just plain untalented and incompetent.

[Sake614]

even if the actors acknowledged what's truly wrong with the show, there's nothing they can do about it. They're ACTORS. They get paid to perform, not to write or produce. And as employees, most of them know their place. You don't tell your boss how to do his/her job if you want to keep yours.

I also don't blame Mo or Laura for being happy that they're front and center. Why wouldn't they be? It means more work, and that's what they want. Sonny is who he is. The character isn't going to suddenly have an epiphany (Johnson or otherwise) and change his life. I can't stand Sonny and think MoBe is marginal at best, but the showrunners over the years have made him the central focus. They can choose to change the focus of the show, but they're not going to change Sonny.

[Francie]

1 hour ago, Sake614 said:

even if the actors acknowledged what's truly wrong with the show

My only purpose by my post was explore that premise.  I don't think, by and large, they come even close to getting what's wrong with the show. Maybe a handful do. The rest are living in their bubbles. Just my perception, which may be off the mark. 

Quote

there's nothing they can do about it.

I agree with you, up to about 95%.  Geary's had a ton of influence. Benard quite a bit, though less of late. Wright pushed a Franco/Carly pairing. Grahn manipulated the hell out of everyone and everything to turn Julian from a black hat bad guy into her love interest. I'm 99% sure Finola de-railed Griffin's past by pushing the idea that it'd be so awesome to have him be Duke's son (the casting call went out for an actor with a British, American or Australian accent, not British, American, or Scottish).  When they do wield their power or cajole to get their way? The results are almost always awful.

Edited June 24, 2016 by Francie

[jsbt]

I think Mo has been weak and manageable for years, despite the occasional spat of obnoxious behavior at fan events. Geary, not so much. I think Laura is very savvy and always has been but I doubt she has been able to game the show for a long time. I don't think she would ever have chosen to be paired up with the serial killer, Roger Howarth or not. The dogged insistence on doing RH/LW and ME/KM all over again with new people came from Frank and Ron.

I don't think Nancy has any power, nor has she for many years. I do think she capitalized on social media feedback re: Julexis at one of the show's many vulnerable moments, but she could never have gotten Julian a reprieve alone. I think clueless network people did that.

I don't mind actors having feedback. Most of the stuff they do, even Finola stepping in on Griffin is usually negligible and not that big a deal IMO - the problem with Griffin is the terrible writing an average actor cannot salvage. It's when stuff like Geary's long reign happens that the needle goes too far across the scale.

Edited June 24, 2016 by jsbt

[WendyCR72]

Do I like when actors dictate story? By and large, no. But sometimes, I get it and even back it. I recall at a PA where KMc/JT talked about how TIIC wanted Lisa to inject Patrick with Robin's blood and both threw a fit and nixed it.

In cases like that, I'm all for the actors speaking up.

Still, yeah, many actor-driven changes aren't out of protecting anything but because of personal ego. But a part of me, while disapproving, still understands it. Let's face it, soaps are now a wading pool in what used to be an ocean. I can understand vets wanting to enhance their characters as best they can. The trouble is, it almost always is counter-indicative of trying to keep the show watchable and a mess ensues.

The truth is, though, the glory days of big soap names and influence shrinks by the day. There used to be options once an actor left a soap, be it another soap or even the ol' Law & Order franchise (which did have a fair share of soap/theater actors in roles). But now only L&O: SVU is left from that and there are only 4 soaps left on the air. Which is why I think those with egos are still trying to exert power because once they're done, they're done. The gravy train is off the track.

Just ironic that those very ill-conceived ideas by some actors actually seem to kill what life is left on their soap a bit faster.

[UYI]

15 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

\Where's Kim Zimmer, Grant Aleksander, and Beth Ehlers? 

 

Grant did an online soap a few years ago, and also went back to college and completed the degree he left behind back in the early 80's. and I think he's in theater and keeps busy as an animal rights activist. Beth Ehlers went back to school a few years back, too, I believe. 

Kim returned to her early 80's OLTL role after GL went off the air, but I'm not sure what she's up to now. She could very well be retired.

Edited June 25, 2016 by UYI

[jsbt]

Grant directed for OLTL 2.0 on Hulu, I believe.

[jsbt]

Grant directed for OLTL 2.0 on Hulu, I believe.

[LeftPhalange]

18 hours ago, Francie said:

 I don't think, by and large, they come even close to getting what's wrong with the show. Maybe a handful do. The rest are living in their bubbles. Just my perception, which may be off the mark. 

Even if every actor came out and said they think the show is shit, what good would that do? A bunch of them would be written out or get even worse stories and the show would still be shit.

TPTB aren't going to do anything they don't want to do. The actors can make suggestions or demands but if TPTB don't want to give in they won't and the actors will either suck it up and deal with it or leave. If anyone at ABC wanted the show to be better it would be.  

Edited June 25, 2016 by LeftPhalange